Air-current governor.



S. P. SMITH.

AIR GURRENT GOVERNOR.

APPLICATION FILED MAR 12, 1907.

949,009. Patented Feb. 15, 1910.

3 vwen for To all whom it concern:

' Denver,

of Colorado, have invented certain new and SOLOMON P. SMITH, OF DENVER,

or UTICA, new YORK, A CORPORATION OF new YORK.

AIR-CURRENT GOVERNOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed March 12, 1907. Serial No. 361,933.

Be it known that I, SOLOMON P. SMITH, a citizen of the United States, residing at in the county of Denver and State useful Improvements in Air-Current Governors, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to automatic de- Vices for controlling the flow of air in ducts such as air flues for domestic furnaces, and includes means for varying at will the normal flow by suitable adjustments.

The duct is provided with a pivoted valve plate. capable of closing the duct but normally slightly'inclined with respect to the ducts direction so as to obstruct a small central portion of the passage, this slight inclination being under normal conditions preferably maintained by gravity. The normal inclination of the valve is adjusted without interfering with the automatic acmoves. Normally,

tion which depends upon having unequal areas of the valve exposed to the action of the air current upon opposite sides of the pivotal axis.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a vertical longitudinal section of a horizontal air duct provided with my device. Fig. 2 is a transverse section on the line 22, of Fig. 1, looking to the right. Figs. 3 and 4 are, respectively, plan view of the valve plate seenin Figs. 1 and 2. Fig. 5 is a viewsimilar tO Fig. 2, showing a slightly modified construction.

In these figures, A represents the walls of a rectangular duct, '13 fixed hangers depend ing from the upper wall of the duct, G a

valve plate supported by hangers D pivoted at E to the hangers B and themselves fixed to the valte plate in a line parallel to the pivotal axis and unequally distant from the lateral edges of the plate. The constructionis such that more than half the plate lies in front of the hangers D, or upon that side from which the air current the center of gravityv of ers D lies almost directly below the pivota axis E, the hangers D counterbalancin the wider exposed portion of the plate which is thus normally slightly inclined. The entire upper surface of the plate is exposed to the pressure of the air current, and if the normal velocity of the current the plate and ban an edge and a e materially increased, the excess of pressure upon the front portion depresses it, corresponding-1y increasing the bstruction by the plate While swinging the center of gravity rearward, this action being carried so far, if the current be very strong, as to close the duct, the valve plate being then in the positionshown in dotted' lines in Fig. .1. The moment the ressure of the air falls sufliciently the weight of the moving parts swings them back to normal position.

The sensitiveness of the apparatus manlfestly depends upon the relative distances COLORADO, ASSIGNOR TO FUEL SAVING COMPANY,

loo

of the hangers D from the two edges of the valve plate, and these distances may; be made such as to secure such sensitiveness as may lie desired. When the apparatus is .properly proportioned, the valve responds to slight changes in air velocity and practically the same amount of air passes at all times, the area unobstructed by the valve varying'inversely with the velocity of the air.

The normal inclination of the valve and the sensitiveness may be adjusted by means of a bar weight F pivoted at one of its ends to the valve plate between the hangers D and held in any desired adjustment by suitable means, a set screw G being shown. The bar'F may be so adjusted that it has no effect upon the inclination of the plate, but it is evident that if it be so adjusted as. to throw an excess of weight toward creased, thereby varying the normal openingfor the passage of air. Access to the valve may be had through an suitable door J, if desired. Fig. 5 shows t e hangers D mounted between collars upon a pivotal transverse rod E passing horizontally across the duct, the hangers B being omitted. In both forms shown, the plate being pivoted to swing upon an axis at some distance from its lane, pressure upon the narrower part of the plate as well as that upon the wider segment, tends to move the p ate about its axis, and the entire force acts with a lever arm. It follows that the device is more sensitive than it would be were the axis in the plane of the plate, in which case the effective force would be only that exertedupon the excess area of the wider segment.

What I claim is:

1. The combination with a duct, of a noreither margin the-inclination of the plate will be correspondingly lessened or in some distance from its p ane u on an axis parallel thereto and unequally istant from its margins and from. the correspondingwalls f the'duct,substantially as set forth. 2. T 1e combination with a duct, of a duct closing plate pivoted to swing freely upon an axis paral e1 to its plane at some distance therefrom, and unequally distantv fromthe" opposite margins of the face exposed to impact of the air current, and also from the corresponding sides of the duct, and a weight secured to the plate at an adjustable distance from the axis;

,3. The combination with a duct-closing eeepoo adapted ztor suspending the plate to swing upon an axis parallel to said margins and at some distance from the plane of the plate, of a weight secured to the plate and adapted to be adjusted to neutral position in the line of gravity or to either side of such position, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

- SOLOMON P; SMITH. l/Vitnesses:

FRED. O. POTTER, E. W. Born. 

